Sexual assault survivor, 23-year-old woman, addressed her assailant, Brock Turner, directly during Turner’s sentencing hearing Thursday, June 2, 2016 and then made her statement public. A California jury found former Stanford University swimmer, Brock Turner, guilty of three counts of sexual assault. Turner was facing a maximum of 14 years in prison. However, at the recent sentencing hearing the judge sentenced Turner to a mere 6 months in prison.

A Brief Look into Turner’s Case

While people everywhere remain outraged by the judge’s light sentencing, the survivor stands strong in her unforgettable, bold statement to people everywhere. In her extensive account, the survivor stated, “I was pummeled with narrowed, pointed questions that dissected my personal life, love life, past life, family life, inane questions, accumulating trivial details to try and find an excuse for this guy who had me half naked before even bothering to ask for my name.”

As critics discuss how the Judge’s ruling is too lenient, the survivor remains scarred from immense physical and emotional turmoil. The survivor details this painful roller coaster – from her experiences at the hospital to learning for the first time about her assault in the news to having intimate details of her life dissected by detectives, investigators, and Brock Turner’s defense attorney.

“Not Another Drunk College Hookup”

College freshmen students, like Turner, enter a world of adulthood and are met with endless opportunity of ample freedom for success and failure. Students are free to choose a path of success in academics, athletics, and other campus involvement. However, college students, like Brock Turner, must also take full responsibility for their actions as young adults in their community—where all success can quickly be tainted. The survivor makes the public aware of the intentional impact of sexual assault: “This is not a story of another drunk college hookup with poor decision making. Assault is not an accident.”

As a survivor, this woman represents one of many sexual assault victims on college campuses who felt unprotected and under-served by the legal process and society at large. Unfortunately, this judge’s sentencing could have a chilling effect on a survivor’s willingness to come forward. Survivors of sexual assault on college campuses often fail to report due to the immense emotional turmoil, sheer fear of not being believed, and for the lack of justice they feel will be brought through reporting.

This survivor’s story sheds light on this systemic, recurring societal issue. As her case demonstrates, it is important survivors and victims come forward without fear of repercussions. Through boldness and determination, this survivor’s account communicates a mission to seek justice in having her voice heard while encouraging other sexual assault survivors – “I am with you.”

At Cory Watson Attorneys, we believe that every voice should be heard. Our attorneys are here to provide legal help to redress such grievances. As advocates for victims and survivors of sexual assault, our attorneys seek to ensure that our clients get the justice they deserve. Lawyers at Cory Watson are available to provide confidential, free legal consultation for victims of sexual assault.

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Alabama Rules of Professional Conduct require the following disclaimer: Case descriptions, recoveries and testimonials presented here are not an indication of future results. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances as they apply to the law. Litigation outcome and valuation depend on many factors including jurisdiction, venue, witnesses, parties, testimony and documentary evidence. Furthermore, no representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.